


Sunrise on the Ocean

by ivelostmyspectacles



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Friendship, Game Spoilers, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 20:36:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13888662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/ivelostmyspectacles
Summary: It left him weak and breathless, aches and pains hidden in dormancy exploding back to the surface.And all he'd wanted to do wasfish.Spoilers for Royal Edition!





	Sunrise on the Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for if you try to take the boat out towards Angelgard... this is set right afterwards... you know if you haven't seen it, it probably will make a little less sense... lol

The throbbing beneath his forehead was gradually diminishing. He wished it would go as quickly as it had come on, but it wasn’t; Noctis had succumbed to collapsing onto the sofa, putting his head in both hands. _Astrals,_ but that had come on so fast.

“You okay there, buddy?” Prompto hadn’t let go of him since he’d helped him over, a hand clasped loosely over his shoulder. It was both comforting, and not. The physical contact was reassuring, but he was also… overstimulated. Colors and lights, bright flashes beneath his eyelids.

He took a deep breath to respond. “I’m fine.” He wasn’t, but he didn’t want to say. Admitting that it was bothering him more than he let on _definitely_ meant they would insist on getting back to port, and they hadn’t even done that much fishing yet. He’d only been headed towards Angelgard because he’d heard rumors of a legendary catch out there. And then… _that._

“The headaches again?” Ignis had taken over the wheel, quickly anchoring once Noct had stopped gasping in pain. He’d flocked back to his side, eyebrows drawn with uncertainty and worry.

“God yeah.” Which was _weird,_ because the last time he’d had that had been clear back in Lestallum, and… well, voices. The voices when he’d pulled up on the outskirts of the island, low and rumbling, indecipherable. Crawling over his skin, washing over his body, threatening to drag him down into the baritone. It _ached._ He took another deep breath, and swallowed back the wave of anxiety that crashed over him. He wouldn’t tell them about that.

“You’ve not had those since Lestallum, correct?”

Noct shook his head. Thank God, really, but… if he was thinking correctly– and it was liable he wasn’t, giving the steady ache still pulsing weakly beneath his skull– there were only a handful of gods that could still be speaking to him… or… maybe he didn’t understand it as much as he thought he did. Regardless of _which_ one, _one_ of them was trying to say _something_.

He didn’t think he wanted to hear it.

“Stopped once we pulled away, though,” Gladio said. He’d taken up the seat behind him and stayed there, watching him without saying a word. But now he’d broken his silence, resting a hand on the back of the seat. “Away from Angelgard, right? They say that island is a place of the gods, maybe it’s not a surprise.”

“Why are they trying to hurt him, though??”

“They’ve never exactly been friendly to begin with.”

“I… I guess not…”

The sigh gusted out from his lips before he could stop it; he gave up trying to sit up straight and let his shoulders slump. Prompto’s hand tightened, and Ignis started forward as if in preparation to catch him if he slid off the seat.

“I’m fine,” he repeated. The swell of the waves beneath the boat wasn’t helping to quell the nausea, but he _didn’t want to go back yet, dammit._ “Can we just… chill here for awhile? ‘til it passes?” he asked, and tried to keep the _pleading_ out of his voice. He just wanted to fish. Fish and take stupid photos and strip down to go for an ill-advised dip, not worry about what was waiting him in Altissia and further beyond. This was just meant to be _fun._

Why was he even surprised it had taken a turn for the worse? It _always_ did.

The other three seemed to share a look over the top of his head. Noct busied himself with catching a bottle of water and a potion free from the armiger, tipping the latter back first. By the time he chased the fizz away with a mouthful of water, the others were, apparently, finished with their silent little conversation.

“Yeah! Sure!” Prompto said. “I want to get more pictures, anyway, you know. You just rest for a little bit, then we’ll be right back to snapping photos of those fish.”

“And nightfall _is_ nearly here,” Ignis added. “It wouldn’t be wise to try to dock with such poor visibility.” His face was carefully impassive, although his eyes, lingering on Noct a little too long, spoke volumes of truth. Worry. Volumes of worry.

“Take it easy,” Gladio said, lightly shoving his shoulder. “We’ve got it from here. Not like we’re going anywhere.”

“Right…” God, he was tired. And grateful. And tired. And achy and emotional, warring sides of his self fighting within him. He could feel it in his _soul._ “I’m just gonna… lay down for awhile. Take a nap.” He didn’t expect that the curative would help, but at least it chased the taste of dread from his tongue. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Like I said, we got it.”

“Same to you, Noct. We’re here if you need us.”

“I won’t even take a pic of you when you drool, dude.”

He quirked a smile, and draped his arm across his eyes. It was only slightly a hint, and they took it.

No, he definitely wasn’t _fine._ But they weren’t pushing him. Not on this. Not this time. He was infinitely grateful.

He dozed for awhile, uncomfortable on the sofa and the headache still nagging at him in its barest form. The malaise would linger; he knew from the headaches in Lestallum and he let it drag him back into sleep again.

The only other time he woke up was when he felt the sleeping bags being plucked from the armiger, and cracked his eyes open to watch as Ignis unfurled the bedroll near the end of the sofa. He thought he’d heard Prompto settle onto the one behind him, and he didn’t know where Gladio was but guessed he was probably nearby. Of course he was nearby. They _all_ were.

“… thanks for letting me stay,” Noct mumbled, voice thick with sleep and awkwardness. “‘ppreciate it.”

There was a low noise, like a hum. Ignis spoke a moment later, over the rustling of fabric as he settled down. “Back to sleep, Noct. We’re here if you need us.”

 _I know,_ he wanted to say. But the exhaustion of the gods was still heavy, wrapped around him like the blanket draped across him that hadn’t been there earlier. He thought he might have smiled as he dozed again.

It would be waiting for him in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very tired and wanted to get this out so ignore mistakes if you see any
> 
>  
> 
> our poor Noct please he just wants to have a fun day free of responsibility. let him be happy 2k18


End file.
